A email from 2010 could be the smoking gun in a false memorabilia case against New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

A lawsuit filed three years ago alleges the two-time Super Bowl winner and a team equipment manager knowingly provided fake game-worn memorabilia to collectors he has a contract with.

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The email, part of court documents filed Tuesday in Bergen County (N.J.) Superior Court, was sent by Manning on April 27, 2010. It asks equipment manager Joe Skiba for "2 helmets that can pass as game used. That's it," according to the New York Post, which obtained the documents.

Attorney Brian Brook, who is representing collectors Eric Inselberg, Michael Jakab and Sean Godown, told ESPN the email links Manning to a scheme to pass off and sell memorabilia as game-worn that was not. Before that, the only evidence for Manning's involvement was an alleged conversation.

A statement from the law firm representing the Giants says "the email, taken out of context, was shared with the media by an unscrupulous memorabilia dealer and his counsel who for years has been seeking to leverage a big payday. The email predates any litigation, and there was no legal obligation to store it on the Giants server. Eli Manning is well known for his integrity and this is just the latest misguided attempt to defame his character."

The trial begins Sept. 25, but it is unlikely anyone would be subject to criminal prosecution since the five-year federal statute of limitations has passed.